After a day of thinking, I decided to try to reattach black wire to the heating element.

Initially, the main power wire looked a little singed (black 2 cm at end of wire). I stripped a bit more of the plastic coating off and used a wire brush to clean the copper wires. I also removed the copper nut from the 'sparkplug white plastic heating element holder thing'. I cleaned the nut too.

You should keep cutting and stripping that wire back until you find clean copper wire strands that do not need wire brushing! If necessary, splice a new wire in but it has to be done with proper size butt connector and crimped with proper crimping tool. The end that attaches to the heater element should have the proper ring terminal lug properly crimped to the wire using proper crimping tool. That heater element is going to draw over 20 amps of current. Any point in that circuit that you have substandard wiring and/or connections, is going to overheat.

Eric - thanks, I had a feeling this was not going to fly for too long . I will get the ring lug connector and wire crimper and check the wire for more singe etc... what is the part called that looks like a sparkplug that the ring lug connector goes on?

Can you tell me - did this short out due to maybe water leaking from drum onto this wire connection? I couldn't find any ring lug connector when I first opened it up - so to be continued. but haven't given up yet.

PS - being safe by unplugging etc.. and will call in pro's if my next effort proves uncertain.

It's a ceramic standoff. The connection may have gotten wet and then corroded or it was just a bit loose. Either one would produce resistance and that high current through resistance causes the connection to get hot which then makes the connection even worse and it escalates to the point of failure (melting/breaking). You must have good clean and tight connections.

Eric

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